Other forms: lexicons
A lexicon is the whole stock of words of a language or a person. The English lexicon, a lexicon of slang, enter the lexicon.
In linguistics it means the mental store of words a speaker holds, with everything known about each — sound, meaning, grammar. It also names a dictionary, especially of an ancient language. To enter the lexicon is to become an accepted word. Note the Greek, meaning a book of words.
1nounlexiconThe whole stock of words of a language or person.
“A child's lexicon grows quickly between the ages of two and five.”
2noundictionaryA dictionary, especially of an ancient language.
“The student looked up the rare word in her Greek lexicon.”
lexicon is a store of words.
Greek lexikon biblion means a book of words, from lexis, a word, from legein, to speak. Lexical comes from the same root.
Proto-Indo-European
*leǵ- — to gather, collect
Ancient Greek
λεξικὸν βιβλίον
Medieval Greek
λεξικόν — a lexicon, a dictionary
New Latin
lexicon
English, today
lexicon
Built from
Through Middle French - or directly from New Latin lexicon, from Medieval Greek λεξικόν (“a lexicon, a dictionary”), ellipsis from Ancient Greek λεξικὸν βιβλίον literally “a book of words”, from λεξικός (“of words”), from λέξις (“a saying, speech, word”), from λέγειν (“to speak”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- (“to gather, collect”). Attested at least since 1583 (in William Fulke's A Defense of the Sincere and True Translations of the Holy Scriptures into the English tongue) in the sense 'a dictionary of a classical language'.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Libraries & Museums